Album Title: Aerial
Artist: Kate Bush
Nationality: British
Year: 2005
Subgenre: Prog related?
Player(s): Way too many to list but the main ones: Kate Bush (Vocals, Piano, Keyboards), Dan McIntosh (Guitars), Gary Brooker (Hammond), Peter Erskine/Steve Elliot/Pete Sanger (Drums), Eberhard Weber/John Giblin/Del Palmer (Bass), Rolf Harris (Didgeridoo and male vocal on “The painters link”), Chris Hall (Accordion)
Familiarity: Everyone knows Kate. Though I admit I don't know enough of her material as I should.
Favourite track(s): Here you have me. This album is just unbelievable and picking out a favourite track is like trying to choose between your children. Luckily I don't have children, so I can choose, but it is hard. “King of the mountain”, “Pi”, “A coral room”, “Nocturn”, “How to be invisible”, “The painter's link”, “Sunset” ... they're all great tracks. If I was pushed, maybe “A coral room”.
Why? Everything here, almost, is great but I love the gentle ambience and relaxing atmosphere of “A coral room ”, and there's nobody like Kate to sing it. Could do without “Little brown jug” though!
Least favourite track(s): Again, none really but if I have to choose I'd say the title and closer, “Aerial”.
Why? Because so much of it is just Kate laughing, and while that's a lovely sound I want more on a song than that. Though then again it is just over a minute of that and I love the rest of the song.
Any preconceptions prior to listening, whether good or bad? I expected it to be good, but not quite this good.
Factoids you'd like to share?
End impression: I need to listen to much more Kate Bush!
Comments: To be honest, when this came up I sort of thought “Oh dear” (again!) because I certainly don't consider Kate to be prog. From the off though I was impressed and really that never lessened as the album went on. It's so good that I never even realised it was a double until I went to check the Wiki page. I could have listened to twice as much music and still been unsatisfied. I find it amazing --- if expected --- that the album is almost entirely driven on Kate's piano. Of course there are other musicians, but the piano holds court over everything and is the main instrument in all songs.
Kate's voice of course is soothing and sexy at once, and if there's an icon for women in music she has to be up there with them. I do in fact hear the prog elements as the album goes on, but still think it's pushing it a little to call this prog. But it's a brilliant album, incredibly well constructed and played, and if this were to be anyone's introduction to Kate's music you could probably not pick a better one, though I admit I don't know much of her other work, a situation I must rectify soonest.
If I have any small niggles (don't be so personal!) it's that she repeats the line “Washing machine” so often on “Mrs. Bertollozi” that it gets boring, and the birds on “Aerial tal” are annoying and the laughter on the closer. Other than that it's bloody perfect.
Rating This is an amazing album and I am totally blown away by it. It's close to perfection and has certainly made me eager to explore more of Kate's music. I have no hesitation in awarding it the highest possible rating of
5.0